Today’s stats: 16 miles/4,000 elevation. A journey of a thousand km begins with a single step. And with one man’s vision – my husband who dreamed up this amazing, massive, and ambitious adventure.

 

St Jean Pied de Port is a beautiful French market town in the foothills of the Pyrenees. I was wondering about the strange name (a bit of a mouthful) and learned that “Pied-de-Port” means “at the foot of the pass.” We’d been warned that the first day is the hardest. We are avid hikers, so elevation and distance didn’t seem like an issue. However, our traditional vacations don’t include having to carry heavy packs. On previous long-distance treks, we have used baggage transfer services. Becoming backpackers is a whole different ball game. The recommendation is to not carry more than 10% of your body weight. Being a newbie backpacker, I ignored the recommendation to avoid overpacking. Instead, I fully embraced the motto “be prepared.” And I felt the burn. But with every step taken, my body began to adapt. We initially agreed that on the Camino we’d walk at a leisurely pace without hurry or effort in order to fully enjoy every moment. Besides, what else is there to do other than roam around the Spanish countryside?

 

All of our rooms had been booked in advance, and there was no need to rush. However, It was hard not to get into a “race mentality.” I have to admit to initially taking pride in being faster than most of our fellow pilgrims. But I gradually got smarter and focused my energy on the beautiful walk. Fortunately, there’s nothing else to do other than enjoy the surroundings and the people. Unlike other treks, where we couldn’t navigate using just way-marks alone, the Camino Frances is extremely well-marked with a combination of arrows, shell symbols, and signs. We could just walk and follow the arrows with no care in the world immersing ourselves in the stunning landscape. Approaching Roncesvalles, we chose the path less traveled – longer but less steep and better underfoot. Our first walking day was even better than we dared dream. Celebrating a birthday on an uphill was certainly memorable. May we continue to encourage ourselves to seek out new challenges and to stretch our limits. I look forward to achieving greater heights (aka higher elevations) and having many more wonderful days on the Camino. Buen Camino!